I have just purchased myself an Art Tech Cessna 182 after doing a fair amount of research they seemed like a great choice and built with a very high quality, I Have an Art Tech Heli and it was superb and fits in nicely alongside my Kyosho Concept 30, however I have a few questions,

I have never flown an RC plane before and have just read a review that said the plane I have purchased is not great for beginners due to its 6 channels, in your opinions will my 2 years of trained 6 channel helicopter experience have any effect on the level I am starting at with planes? I have spent a good 40 odd hours on Realflight flying around in a Pitts and an extra 300 and find them relatively easy to fly in comparison to the 3D heli's, however as most should know a sim can never replicate a real world flight.

Basically is this plane suitable for me to start playing with at low speeds and high altitudes so I have time to get out of otherwise nasty consequences or should I buy a trainer first?

Hi Bentley
Welcome aboard
Im pleased to meet you
I have one and while not as easy going as a full on rc trainer she still is pretty easy to fly
Theres not much dihedral on the wing so she flies in more off a scale manner for that type of plane and is not as self correcting and is faster then a trainer
If you have some sim time you shouldnt have too hard of a time with her
Take care
Yours Hank

"When wild the head-wind beat,Thy sovereign Will commanding, Bring them who dare to fly, To a safe landing."

Hello Bentley and welcome to the friendliest, most helpful online community I've found.

If you're good with a 6 channel helicopter you have the patience to learn the fixed wing the right way. Comparing my Cocomanche to my 4 channel trainer (E-flite Aprentice) the plane is easier to control but they are very different. I transitioned with a 3 channel micro (HZ Champ) which I was able to fly out of the box but crashed quite a bit becuase I flew when I shouldn't (wind) and tried stunt flying before I was ready. The biggest difference between the micro and the trainer for me wasn't the extra channel, it was the speed of the airplane. I don't have any experience with the Art Tech Cessna 182 but if Hank says it flies well you can believe him.

Wait for a calm day and find a very large wide open area for your first flight and don't try anything fancier than level flight and smooth turns at 100-150 feet. That first outing will tell you right off the bat if you're ready. People like to knock FMS as a simulator but if you have the adapter to hook your transmitter into the computer that's a great way to learn the feel of fixed wing controls well enough that you won't get confused and smash the plane into your car at mach 12.

I'm sure some more experienced pilots will share advice too and I offer all of this with the caveat that I've only been flying planes for four months and have crashed quite a bit.

You'll love the plane though, I haven't touch a helicopter since I got my first fixed wing.

Hi Hank, Cheers for the response and pleased to make your acquaintance too.

Thats put my mind to rest, I had a real worry on that I had bought the wrong thing, Now I can't wait to receive her through the post

I am taking by the fact that there is not much dihedral that a little more power is needed to keep her in the air and away from stalls thus having the effect of being a little faster than a standard trainer?

The reason I picked this particular aircraft is the fact that firstly from what I have read it is very well built, second its RTF and third it seemed ideal for my eyes to spot being a large scale aircraft, I'm so used to watching microscopic dots in the air (my 2 heli's), suddenly losing track of what direction they were facing and then plummeting into the ground, I thought this might make an ample change

Best advise would be to go with someone experienced and get it trimmed before you take the sticks. The difference between 4 and 6 channels is not much of a deal. Bigger issue is that a good trainer will have more dihedral regardless of whether it it is 4 or 6 6 channels. The extra 2 channels are probably for flaps which in your case should be set and forget to fly a little slower.

Again, best advise is get an instructor for your first flights

If you decide to pursue the self-taught approach, I encourage you to grab an air hog 2channel plane to teach yourself to fly. Otherwise, you will have a very short and frustrating experience. Air hog will give you a chance to see what it it is like to get some stick time without destroying the plane. Goal is to have some fun without destroying the plane.

Thanks for the reply and kind welcome Megajon, Much appreciated and sound advice by the looks of it, I Planned on waiting for a calm day and the field I have access to is a good 9 acres so there should be enough space, 150 feet sounds very high up to me, but then thinking about it, i shoot well over that distance and the targets are large so should not actually be a problem :P i'm so used to flying heli's at around 50ft might be a little learning curve of its own :P

Hello Bentley and welcome to the friendliest, most helpful online community I've found.

If you're good with a 6 channel helicopter you have the patience to learn the fixed wing the right way. Comparing my Cocomanche to my 4 channel trainer (E-flite Aprentice) the plane is easier to control but they are very different. I transitioned with a 3 channel micro (HZ Champ) which I was able to fly out of the box but crashed quite a bit becuase I flew when I shouldn't (wind) and tried stunt flying before I was ready. The biggest difference between the micro and the trainer for me wasn't the extra channel, it was the speed of the airplane. I don't have any experience with the Art Tech Cessna 182 but if Hank says it flies well you can believe him.

Wait for a calm day and find a very large wide open area for your first flight and don't try anything fancier than level flight and smooth turns at 100-150 feet. That first outing will tell you right off the bat if you're ready. People like to knock FMS as a simulator but if you have the adapter to hook your transmitter into the computer that's a great way to learn the feel of fixed wing controls well enough that you won't get confused and smash the plane into your car at mach 12.

I'm sure some more experienced pilots will share advice too and I offer all of this with the caveat that I've only been flying planes for four months and have crashed quite a bit.

You'll love the plane though, I haven't touch a helicopter since I got my first fixed wing.

Hi
Thanks for the vote of confidence, its most appreciated
Excellent advice,your learning swiftly young padawon
And i agree with you thats its not the number of channels an aircraft has but its airspeed and dihedral( self correcting behavior of the wing) that decides the ease at which an rc aircraft can be controlled
Mid and low wing aircraft should always be a second or third plane after a high wing trainer as they are quite unsuitable imho for the novice
Once you have built up the muscle memory to pull off a manuver with out thinking about it only then should you move up to faster more aerobatically capable aircraft
Take care
Yours Hank

"When wild the head-wind beat,Thy sovereign Will commanding, Bring them who dare to fly, To a safe landing."

Thanks for your input Clint, Interestingly my first RC heli's was a 3D 6ch micro, my first day... I unboxed it, took it out to the drive way, took off, 3ft in the air and 12 seconds later I hit and damaged a transit van coupled with a spectacular display of splinted carbonfibre it was one epic yet heartbreaking experience, one that I do not wish to relive with this new toy, luckily someone I know has flown fixed wing for many years, sounds like it might be wroth getting him to have a play with it.

Hi
Thanks for the vote of confidence, its most appreciated
Excellent advice,your learning swiftly young padawon
And i agree with you thats its not the number of channels an aircraft has but its airspeed and dihedral( self correcting behavior of the wing) that decides the ease at which an rc aircraft can be controlled
Mid and low wing aircraft should always be a second or third plane after a high wing trainer as they are quite unsuitable imho for the novice
Once you have built up the muscle memory to pull off a manuver with out thinking about it only then should you move up to faster more aerobatically capable aircraft
Take care
Yours Hank

If I am honest, i'm not a danger seeker, I don't really crave the fast paced buzz and aerobatic capability of these planes I look at whizzing past in the local RC club, I have several expensive hobbies, with stunts and stuff comes big money learning curves which I would rather not venture into :P I have bought it for a stress free fly around in the park whilst recovering from the intense adrenaline fuelled 15th century battle re-enactment that I take part in for the MSS might be a nice cool down for the RC heli stuff to as well if im honest.

Thanks again for the helpful advice though

Just out of interest, Does the 182 have the ability to open its cockpit so I can place a Flip camera in their at a later date?

If I am honest, i'm not a danger seeker, I don't really crave the fast paced buzz and aerobatic capability of these planes I look at whizzing past in the local RC club, I have several expensive hobbies, with stunts and stuff comes big money learning curves which I would rather not venture into :P I have bought it for a stress free fly around in the park whilst recovering from the intense adrenaline fuelled 15th century battle re-enactment that I take part in for the MSS might be a nice cool down for the RC heli stuff to as well if im honest.

Thanks again for the helpful advice though

Just out of interest, Does the 182 have the ability to open its cockpit so I can place a Flip camera in their at a later date?

Regards
Bentley

Hi Bentley
Know the feeling well as i operate all manner of rc vehicles both electric and IC ,helis, boat and subs, cars etc and there are times i just want to operate an easy slow lazy day flier or vehicle
About the cockpit, sorry no you would have to do some minor surgery to provide access to accommodate a camera
Take care
Yours Hank

"When wild the head-wind beat,Thy sovereign Will commanding, Bring them who dare to fly, To a safe landing."

Hi
It could but then you would just adjust the balance by
Moving the battery pack
Changing ther battery pack for a lighter one
Theres many ways around it
And many have put cams in the 182 so it is capable of handeling them
Do enjoy

Hi
It could but then you would just adjust the balance by
Moving the battery pack
Changing ther battery pack for a lighter one
Theres many ways around it
And many have put cams in the 182 so it is capable of handeling them
Do enjoy

These little cameras are great, Even the BBC are running these little beauties on Fast moving stuff, the Flipp lacks such good quality and is lighter in comparison but would be nice to get some aerial footage, thanks for the link and the help once again, I have plenty of lipos so that should not be a problem

Hi
Thanks for the vote of confidence, its most appreciated
Excellent advice,your learning swiftly young padawon
And i agree with you thats its not the number of channels an aircraft has but its airspeed and dihedral( self correcting behavior of the wing) that decides the ease at which an rc aircraft can be controlled
Mid and low wing aircraft should always be a second or third plane after a high wing trainer as they are quite unsuitable imho for the novice
Once you have built up the muscle memory to pull off a manuver with out thinking about it only then should you move up to faster more aerobatically capable aircraft
Take care
Yours Hank

This padawon has learned that not listening to the masters is expensive.

Beginner to the RC fixed wing world, I gave myself a Christmas present this year, the Lanyu Cessna 182 Skylane 747 lll RTF with the night light's. I finally got the rest of the assembly completed Thx DCDetector for your much needed help, the instructions book was kinda Vaughn N some areas and left it to the imagination to figure out the unknown.

Wow it's a big fantastic great sturdy looking plane, I don't want to crash and burn on my 1st flight out. So after much reading and given advise I bought the little bright orange Chanp RC to practice on did I do the right thing???

No real time flying, but have roughly 5 months on a sim Aerofly Professional Deluxe the only one I could find compatible with a MAC Computer. Finally learned how to land without CRASHING

You did the right thing as that Cessna is NOT a beginner plane at all. Fly the heck out of the Champ and when you can fly and land it proficiently, give the Cessna a go. They will fly nothing like each other though.

Yep, seen it a few times in the year I have been flying. I sure am glad I bought "beginner" planes as my first foray into this hobby (HZ Firebird Stratos, HZ Super Cub and Champ). I still have all my trainer planes in great condition.

upuprcflyn, glad to hear you got the Lanyu ready it is a great plane. Looks fantastic and flies great, but not one to learn on. I have 2 Champs and they are good first fliers but do still move pretty quick for the size. Good thing is they are easy to repair. I snapped my wing once just carrying it out to my truck.

I did my self-teaching on a E-Flite Apprentice but they are a bit pricey.

Hey DCDetector I spoke too soon, that did not solve the problem I believe the LED module has gone bad, something is rattling inside when I shake it, called local hobby shop where I got the plane. They had me email them photos of all wire connections from wings to fuselage so they can forward to the lighting experts at Lanyu Hobby in China for advise.

What a BUMMER tired of waiting going on two weeks now with no reply, not the best customer service guess In the morning I will call General Hobby in Upland California for the umteen time for an update, don't know what else to do.